Wedding Day
by darthdeanna
Summary: Hermione is due to be married in a few hours to Ron Weasley, her Hogwarts sweetheart. So why does she feel like she's going to her own funeral? Will an intervention help? Canon, ignores epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

This is a one shot that has been keeping me from making progress on my now… three stories I've been working on.. Canon compliant, excluding epilogue

Here you go little plot bunny… enjoy!

* * *

Hermione Granger sat fingering the gentle curls that cascaded down her back. After Voldemort's defeat Hogwarts had been closed for a year to repair the damage done in the battle. The following year everybody had been invited back, including those who missed out on their Seventh year and NEWTS. Mostly everybody had taken Headmistress McGonagall up on her offer, including a great percentage of the Slytherins. It had been a tense few weeks early in the term, but it had been a healing process that needed to occur.

Amelia Bones had been key in allowing that to happen. As Minister of Magic, she exonerated a great number of the younger Death Eaters, assigning them community service in what she called the 'Great Experiment'. There had been months of trials during the year Hogwarts had been closed, and most of the younger children recruited for the final battle acknowledged that it was their parents who seemingly took away the choice of whether or not to take the mark or not.

When it was discovered that Narcissa Malfoy had been the one to deceive Voldemort, allowing Harry to regroup and destroy the wizard she had received a citizenship award for her role in defeating the Dark Lord. This Ministry sponsored forgiveness, as well as McGonagall's strict no-tolerance policy towards discrimination helped the young witches and wizards of Britain mend the ties broken by war. Comprehensive unity sessions and wand-free open 'chats' helped the older students share their tales, and rarely was there a dry eye in the room after some Slytherins shared how they had been tortured into compliance with their parents wishes.

This was not to say that deeds went unpunished. Many of the older generation still ended up in Azkaban, as they were deemed to have willingly complied, rather than agreeing by force to join with the Death Eaters. However, Harry had said it best, during his speech at the 6th month anniversary ceremony.

"We all know the past we have come from, and we all know the future is uncertain. I cannot give all of the reasons why Tom Riddle turned out the way he did, but I do know that many years ago a broken and lost boy turned up at Hogwarts, searching for family he never had. He sought acceptance from his peers, and protection from the adults around him. He likely felt that nobody cared for him, nobody noticed the pain he endured while outside of Hogwarts, and that the only way he would get people to notice him was by force. It is this same tragedy that we must avoid. It is why I endorse Madam Bones' resolution to exonerate many that fought in that final battle. We do our society no favors by turning yet another generation of lost souls into followers. This society that never fully healed from Grindenwald must heal today, lest the events that led to the Battle at Hogwarts repeat themselves with yet another generation."

There had been applause and shock. Here was the Boy-Who-Defeated, wishing to grant forgiveness to all but the most egregious of Death Eaters. The world shook on its foundation that day, and the Golden Trio broke just a little.

Sure, Hermione, Harry and Ron continued on as if nothing had happened, and Harry started dating Ginny in earnest. Hermione too, began dating Ron. She resisted the urge to go as far in their relationship as he wanted, saying that she wanted to hold back just that little piece of herself, for her parent's sake. However, there had ben tension between the group, and by the end of the school year the fights that Harry and Ron would have in the sanctity of the common room had become epic. Still, Hermione continued to date Ron faithfully and tried to mend the broken ties between her two oldest friends. She had been most determined to make it work with Ron, despite his crumbling friendship with Harry. Now, three years after graduating from Hogwarts, and one year after earning her Mastery level in both Transfiguration and Ancient Runes, Hermione sat at a vanity looking at herself in the mirror.

The last of her baby fat had long since melted away, revealing a slender frame that had been the envy of many a witch in her Mastery classes. Taking the Mastery classes, she had finally created a spell that controlled her unruly curls, and now they more closely resembled waves than the bushy hair she had on top of her head most of her life. She looked down at her porcelain hands at the thin gold band containing a single diamond solitaire she had gotten from Ron. He had been mistaken in thinking that since he was engaged to her, he was entitled to her body. She had dismissed him of that notion, threatening to hex his manhood away if he tried to force himself upon her before she was ready for him.

Truth be told, after dating for a while she had no idea why she didn't want to give herself to him. She knew that the arguments between Harry and Ron about the former's forgiveness and subsequent befriending of Draco Malfoy had something to do with it. Ron was upset that Harry was not fighting to have anyone who even thought about being a Death Eater put into jail, and Harry continued to argue that everybody deserved a second chance. Ron had called Harry foolish for not having the whole lot of them jailed, and Harry retorted that Ron was too quick to exchange the word Slytherin for the title Death Eater. The fights had gotten ugly, and Hermione refused to become a part of them. It had put a strain on her relationship with Ron, and her friendship with Harry, but she still managed to be close to them both, even if they weren't close to each other anymore.

Still, Hermione surmised that it was Ron's unwillingness to forgive, and his stubbornness change his mentality that put the block in her mind. Some part of her couldn't abide willful ignorance. Even when planning the wedding, when Hermione mentioned that Daphne Greengrass would be one of her bridesmaids the pair of them had a row about it. Ron called her a 'slimy Slytherin', and Hermione reminded Ron that Daphne had been her classmate in her Mastery classes, and the two of them were good friends. She didn't mention who else had been a classmate of hers, but mentioning Draco Malfoy's name was asking for trouble when it came to Ron.

But still, Hermione agreed to marry Ron Weasley, and she now sat putting on the finishing touches on her makeup, trying to stall as long as possible. In several hours time she would be Hermione Weasley. She hoped that she would be able to work for a while before gifting Ronald with their first child, but that idea had caused yet another row between them so Hermione had put the idea out of her head. It crept up from time to time, sitting at the back of her thoughts whenever Ron talked about his plans for them, which included building a house next door to his parents, so that they would always be close to the Burrow. She hadn't liked that idea, but once again there had been a row, and Hermione had given up on the idea of living in the country in one of the houses Harry had wanted to give her as a wedding present.

Hermione sighed. She was too sad for her wedding day. It felt more like she was losing her freedom, but most of her school-mates had long gotten used to her as 'Ron's girl' that it seemed inevitable. She heard a knock on the chamber door, and waved her hand, having learned simple wandless charms she wouldn't dare use around Ron, since he had been unable to pass the qualifying test to get his Mastery in anything but Care of Magical Creatures.

Hermione heard a sharp intake of breath behind her. "You look beautiful"

Hermione turned around and looked into the emerald green eyes of her oldest friend.

"Thanks Harry. How are things with you?"

Harry stood tall and muscular. His hair was still as unruly as ever, but he had been able to get his eyesight corrected and no longer needed the glasses. It had turned out that having Voldemort's horcrux in his body caused him to be stunted in growth, so he had grown quite a lot over the passing years. Harry ran an absent hand through his hair and sighed.

"Things have been going. I made Auror First Class, and so I start my practicals pretty soon."

Hermione smiled. "So you're not taking that post at Hogwarts to teach DADA?"

Harry shook his head. "I want to travel the world for a while first. Besides, Neville is a natural."

Hermione nodded, and subconsciously fingered her ring. "Have you spoken to Ron?"

Again Harry shook his head. "No. He won't return my floo calls, and my owls go unanswered. I think he's still sore I broke up with Ginny."

Hermione nodded. "Why DID you break up with Ginny?"

Harry sighed. "Something wasn't right. I mean, she's cute and all, and beyond the initial attraction I didn't feel anything. At first I thought it was because of my stress with Voldemort… thought I was subconsciously keeping her distant. But then we went back to Hogwarts and it was the same problem. I realized I was dating her because I was comfortable around her, because she was familiar." Harry ran his hand through his hair again and looked back up. "I don't know why he's being such a git about it… we broke up before winter holiday!"

Hermione nodded. "I think he saw you as good for her. She tends to hang around people he doesn't like."

Harry laughed, but there was no mirth in his eyes. "You mean the fact that she's engaged to Blaise now? Please. Blaise has had a crush on Ginny since OUR sixth year, at least. He could show her all the feelings I couldn't."

Hermione sighed. "So what brings you here?"

Harry walked over to stand behind Hermione and began massaging her neck. "You."

Hermione stilled. "Me?"

Harry nodded. He leaned down and kissed the hollow of her neck, making her squirm slightly. He then lifted up his head and whispered in her ear. "I know you don't want to marry Ron, but you don't feel like you have a choice."

Hermione's eyes flew open. "Wha?" She whirled around to face her friend. "I do want to marry Ron."

Harry looked Hermione in her eyes. "Do you LOVE Ron, or is it that you're used to him?"

Hermione opened her mouth, and started to protest, but her heart wasn't in it. She lowered her eyes and focused on her hands.

"Look at me Mio. You don't have to marry Ron. There is no requirement. Heck… the Trio is already dead. Nobody is forcing you to try and keep us tied together. "

Hermione nodded. She looked at the dress she had picked out, and thought about all the hand-made invitations she had made with Ginny, and all the work that Mrs. Weasley had done cooking for the guests. A small tear trickled down her face.

"Awh! Don't cry Mio!" Harry's hands continued to massage the knot in her neck that Hermione hadn't even realized was there. "If they make a big scene about you doing what makes you happy, than you shouldn't have married Ron anyway."

Hermione smiled sweetly. "Thanks Harry. But I don't even know if… I mean it's just my curiosity more than anything. He probably doesn't like me."

"Who doesn't like you?" Daphne Greengrass queried, entering the room

Hermione started. "Hi Daph!"

Daphne Greengrass stood glowing in her formal dress robes. The dark red stood out elegantly against her pale skin. Hermione sighed. She had wanted purple as the colors for the wedding, with accents of silver. Ron had wanted the bright orange of the Cannons. Hermione had flat our refused, and the compromise ended up with Gryffindor colors. It was unusual to see Daphne in any colors other than green, blue or purple, but two bribes later and Hermione had her maid of honor.

"Mione, who doesn't like you?" Daphne asked again, warding the door against intruders.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late now." Hermione sighed. After all this talk, her heart wasn't in getting married today. It was just something she had to do. She would get over it, and she would get used to the idea of being Mrs. Hermione Weasley.

"Is everything ready? " Hermione asked

Daphne nodded, her eyes flooding with concern. She had only known Hermione as a friend for about four years, starting back the summer Voldemort was defeated. She looked at the man who had been her friend for longer, and saw a look in his eyes she couldn't quite place. Harry moved over and conjured a chair, sitting down in it and turning Hermione around from the vanity to face him.

"Are you ready?" It was more than a whisper, but both Daphne and Hermione heard it. Hermione raised her head and looked into the deep pools of emerald.

"You aren't." It was a statement, not a question. Harry stared into the impossible depths of those brown eyes, flecked with bits of gold, and saw something that broke his heart. Despair.

Daphne watched, feeling much the interloper, as the two seemed to communicate silently. As long as the two of them had been friends, practically attached at the hip for as long as she could remember, it was possible.

Harry's voice was no more than a whisper. "I can't let you marry him, Hermione. I can't let you give away your future to somebody who can put that much pain in your heart. A man who can give you that look, Hermione, doesn't deserve to ever touch you. Even if he was my best mate."

Daphne looked at Hermione, and saw the unshed tears hiding behind her thick brown eyelashes. She put a careful hand on the witch's shoulder, and felt her roommate shaking.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hermione whispered, almost too quietly. "I have to. He loves me."

Harry grasped Hermione's hands in his and ran soft circles on the back of them. "No."

"No?" Hermione looked into Harry's eyes, trying to see what lay behind them.

"Hermione, I've been watching you. We've been friends for years. When I used to look in your eyes, there was fire. I used to think it was just a passion to learn, but then we went and searched for the Horcruxes, and I realized it was a passion for life. Even when we were captured by Bellatrix, even in the face of certain death. When you started studying for your Mastery, there was fire… passion. Every since he put that ring on your finger, however, that fire has been dying. Now it's not there anymore. Today, on the day when you should be most passionate about the future you seem more like you're going to be executed instead." Harry leaned in and gave his friend a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Go to him." The words were almost a whisper. Daphne barely heard them herself and she was no more than two feet away. "He ignites that passion in you. Go to him."

Hermione's eyes widened. "I… I can't! He won't have me!"

Harry got suddenly serious. "He ignites that passion in you. It took me ages to figure it out, to figure out what else changed. He changed. You need a challenge; you need somebody who is on your level, who can keep up with you. Somebody who will re-ignite that fire in your eyes."

Harry continued. "Almost our entire time at Hogwarts it was he. Ron became a substitute. But your fights with him had no substance. It was all about Ron being stubborn and you fighting to make him better so that you would be satisfied. You can't be with somebody who refuses to let the past die."

Hermione started to protest. "But…"

"Go." Harry's eyes flashed dangerously, and Hermione and Daphne felt the command in his voice. Hermione looked up at Daphne, who had discretely gathered her robe and a cloak.

Hermione's voice was barely a whisper. "But if he won't have me…"

Harry's eyes softened when he saw his friend so vulnerable. "If he won't have you, marrying Ron is not the answer." Harry saw the protest form on Hermione's lips and held up his hand. "Marrying Ron is a band-aid for a hurt, a wound and a desire all at once. I hate to say this of somebody I once considered a brother, but you're better than that. You are better off not married at all than married to somebody who will only use you. Now go."

Hermione quivered. "You know who it is." Again, not a question, but a statement between two close friends.

"Yes, and I'm here, aren't I?"

Hermione sighed, looking again at the dress that hung in the corner of the dressing room. The dress that Daphne should be helping her into, buttoning the buttons up her back, and affixing the veil around her curls. She thought about the musicians that had been hired out, ready to strike up chords at her entrance. She thought about Ginny, splendid in a gold formal robe, and the guests who at this moment would be filing into the tiny church. She looked up at Daphne, who held her robe and her cloak in each hand.

"Don't worry. We will take care of everything here. Harry here might have to dispatch some of his friends to protect you, but it will all be better in the end." Daphne said. She thought quickly, and picked up a slip of spare parchment from the table nearby. She scribbled a quick note, took out her wand and mumbled a charm.

"The first one is where I think he might be on a day like today. The second address is to my parent's summer home in France. It's only open by floo, and only invited guests of the Greengrass family can enter it's wards. Keep that paper with you. It will let you breach the floo wards on the property. " Daphne cast her patronus charm, and the raven took off in flight. "I just sent a message to my sister Astoria to have her pack up our flat. I've seen the rages that Ron can get into, better than either of you two have. Being an outsider, and a friend of Lavender Brown's kept me tied into the gossip circle at Hogwarts."

Hermione nodded, and put on her robe, covering up the corset she was planning to wear under her dress, and scooped up the skirt that lay discarded on the floor. She put that on, wiggling into it as only a girl used to putting on clothes beneath her robe could. She took the cloak, read the address, and disappeared with a crack.

Harry slumped back into the chair after Hermione had left. Daphne walked up behind him and wrapped tentative arms around his neck. She leaned down and kissed his neck. With reflexes honed first by Quiddich, and refined by his Auror training, Harry swiftly pulled Daphne around onto his lap and kissed her full-on.

After a moment of the tender kiss, Daphne leaned her head against Harry's shoulder, settling into his arms. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then asked the question that burned in her mind.

"Will he accept her? Will they?"

Harry sighed. "I hope so. My ears can't deceive me too badly. It's her name that my roommate whispers when he thinks nobody is around. It was her scent that he smelled when we brewed that love potion back in Seventh year. It was her he was trying to protect that night long ago, and it was her friendship with me that caused him to be so angry and jealous with me all the time."

Daphne sighed. "He's stubborn."

Harry chuckled. "So is she."

* * *

Hermione apparated into a seedy bar, where a lone wizard lay slumped over the bar, the barkeep shooting him glances that hinged on abject pity.

"Another one?" The barkeep walked over to the wizard, who merely waved his hand and thrust a glass from between his arms.

"It's not so bad, is it?" the barkeep asked.

"I lost. I fought, almost died, and I still lost. Right about now the band will be playing and the woman I can't keep my mind off of will be walking down the aisle towards her future, and I never even got a chance to answer the 'what if'."

Hermione stepped out of the shadow just then, and mustered all her Gryffindor courage to speak. "You should not go about believing everything you hear."

The man whirled around and stared as if looking at a ghost. "You're not here."

Hermione chuckled, an empty laugh. "I am most certainly here. My question is, am I making the right decision?"

The man rose from the bar and quickly closed the distance between them. He whispered. "I thought I had lost you."

Hermione looked up into the molten eyes. "You never had me."

The man smirked. "Exactly." He twirled quickly, his robes swirling in a manner that reminded Hermione oddly of a former professor of hers. He took out a pouch and paid the barkeep. He then walked over and took her hand.

"This place is not fit for a woman of your beauty." The man's molten eyes burned into Hermione's own. "I know a nice café' in the south of France. Do you trust me?"

"I think so."

"I have to change that. Are you up for the challenge?"

Hermione smiled her first genuine smile in months. "I most certainly am, Malfoy."

Draco laughed. "Draco. You can't trust me at all if you won't call me by my first name."

Draco. "Draco" Hermione tested on her lips. It flowed rather easily off of her tongue.

"Yes, and you are Hermione. Now that we have that settled, how about an early lunch?"

Hermione nodded, and the pair vanished.

* * *

Ok, so that's one scene. If I get good reviews, I might post the other scenes I have planned out. R&R!


	2. The boy that you loved

This scene had to be written

8888

Harry heard a pop behind him, and he turned around, wand out to see who had unceremoniously breeched the wards at Grimmwald Place.

"Whoa Potter, It's just me." The wizard chuckled at his paranoid friend.

Harry looked into the molten silver eyes of his friend Draco and demanded. "Prove it."

Draco laughed. "Last year you nearly hexed Pansy Parkinson out of existence for taking a Polyjuice potion and impersonating Daphne, in hopes that you would get her pregnant. I think it was the first time I'd ever seen you perform an Unforgivable."

Harry laughed at the memory and dropped his wand. He had been majorly pissed at the time when he found out what was going on. Daphne and he had yet to join in that way, so when a very obviously drunk "Daphne" apparated into his house and began disrobing at the dinner table, Harry had been confused, to say the least. Harry delayed, hoping to sober Daphne up. He wanted their first time to be special, and as Daphne came from a very traditional pureblood family, they would have to be married in order for him to consummate their relationship in that way. In about an hour's time, however, it became clear that the woman attempting to disrobe in front of him was not his Daphne, but a desperate Parkinson who had just been dumped by Theodore Nott for her clear obsession with Harry.

Harry found out later that the last straw had been when Pansy had tried to get Theo to take a Polyjuice potion laced with Harry's hair (how Pansy ended up with Harry's hair was another mystery entirely). Harry chuckled at the howler he had received from Theo about that. Harry sighed and ran his hands through his hair, and gestured towards the sitting room, where Kreacher was more than happy to serve Master Potter and Master Malfoy some of the reserve wine Harry had discovered in the place.

"What brings you here, Draco?"

"Weasley. He won't leave Hermione alone. She has to have an escort everywhere she goes, lest he assault her and try to kidnap her. I think he's following her, and not in a good way."

Harry nodded. "Ron is a right possessive git when he wants to be. I thought that the Manor was Unplottable."

Draco shook his head. "It is, at least it's supposed to be. Father hired out a whole team of ward experts to re-ward all of our properties. He can't get in anymore, and the howlers have stopped now that her mail is being filtered, but I still see him outside of the ward line, pacing and ranting. We can't go anywhere that isn't heavily warded."

Harry sighed. "She took off his ring, right?"

Draco shrugged. "I heard her and Daphne discussing the ring, but I haven't seen it on her since after about a month into our relationship."

"Have you checked for a glamour? I wouldn't put it past my former friend to give her a ring she can't take off that has a tracking charm on it. Heck, he gave a necklace to Ginny that had a tracking charm on it that was only discovered after she got married to Blaise last fall."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I'll kill him! If he thinks…" Suddenly there was a crash in the room that Harry knew contained the emergency floo, and the pair rushed off to see what was going on.

"Harry HELP!"

Harry rushed into the room and discovered Daphne cradling Hermione in her arms. Both of them had robes that had been torn, and blood was seeping into Hermione's shirt.

A light flashed, and Draco heard hissing from his right side. He looked over, and Harry's eyes were glowing with an unnatural light, and his experience with the Dark Lord told him that Harry was now speaking Parseltongue. Draco shuddered. He had not seen Harry that angry since the Battle at Hogwarts. Somebody was going to be in a lot of pain, and Draco hoped that it was Ron Weasley.

"Daphne, hand her here." Draco took Hermione in his arms, and discovered that Daphne had likely cast a feather-light charm on his girlfriend. Draco held Hermione in one arm, an easy but awkward feat, and transfigured a nearby couch into a bed. He put Hermione on the bed, and quickly cast a cushioning charm on the floor underneath Daphne, who was on the brink of fainting.

Daphne did indeed collapse, but she was still conscious. Draco sent off a patronus message to Astoria, who was studying to be a healer, and told her what to was wrong. He didn't want to risk trying to take Hermione or Daphne anywhere without knowing what kind of curses they had been hit with.

Meanwhile Harry began waving his hands and a net cast itself around the room. He continued speaking in Parseltongue and Hermione began to glow in the same unnatural green light that filled his eyes. Finally Harry turned to Daphne, who nearly flinched at the power radiating out of Harry's eyes, and spoke.

"What happened?"

"Hermione and I were shopping in France for robes for the Bones wedding. Nott was our escort and Dean Thomas was under an invisibility cloak, or so we thought. Turns out Ron had some of Dean's hair or something, and took places with him after we did our last checkpoint. He waited until we were up the lane a ways, heading to the floo point, and hexed Nott in the back. Then he went after us. He hit us both with some nasty curses. It was clear that he was trying to knock me out so he could take Hermione, but I didn't get sorted Slytherin for naught."

Draco chuckled. "Please tell me Weasley is in pain."

Daphne nodded, and winced as pain shot through her side. Harry was there in an instant, running his hand through her hair and whispering to her. The floo fired up again, and in stepped Astoria Greengrass, accompanied by Aurora Zambini and Ginny Zambini.

"Tori!" Daphne gasped. Astoria went quickly over to her sister and poured a pain relief potion down her throat. Mrs. Zambini went over to Hermione and began running diagnostic spells. She turned to the group and asked. "What's this field around her?"

Harry turned from Daphne and sighed. "A stasis spell, to keep her condition static until somebody could come. I didn't want whatever was cursing her to continue to affect her, but I just barely have field medic training, so there's no way I'd risk trying anything else on her, in case I aggrivate the condition."

Mrs. Zambini nodded. She turned to Ginny and began issuing commands. "She is suffering from an organ melting curse, as well as some long term degenerative curses. She has serious shock, likely from continuously fighting off a compulsion charm that is still trying to take hold, and there is evidence of some type of fertility charm. There is more going on, but until I stabalize some of the heavier curses I won't be able to tell which is which."

Draco's eyes darkened to a stormy dark grey. "Madam Zambini, can you check her for glamours?"

The medi-witch complied, and the old engagement ring appeared, as well as a thick, heavy looking necklace hanging around her neck. Harry's eyes flashed dangerously and he cursed under his breath. Draco also got angrier when he saw the necklace on her neck.

Daphne craned up to see what was making Harry and Draco so unhappy. "What? What is it?"

"The first is a curse ring. It compels the wearer to obey whoever puts it on. It's a very old artifact. It used to be given to women in order to force them to comply with a particular directive. It fell out of practice as purebloods began allowing their children to choose appropriate mates themselves. It was also used back before house elves became common to enslave individuals." Draco spat.

Harry continued. "The other is a cursed locket, it looks similar to Slytherins' locket, but that's impossible. I don't know what it's doing to her."

Mrs. Zambini shook her head. "The locket is giving off a compulsion charm, designed to make her want to have children. It's also doing some work in suppressing certain aspects of her personality."

A gasp sounded, and they all turned to where Astoria had been working on Daphne. Daphne sat up and smiled weakly. "Will she be ok?"

Mrs. Zambini nodded. "I've already stopped the internal damage. There are several layers of compulsion charm as well as a mental block in place. It's blocking a portion of her memories."

Harry moved over to where Hermione lay. "What HAS he been doing to you?"

Mrs. Zambini shivered. "This girl has got to be quite a strong witch to have fought these for so long. Some of them look at least six years old." She turned to Harry. "You're the only one I know alive now powerful enough to help me take these off of her. Mind?"

Harry shook his head. "Of course not."

Harry moved over, and began speaking in Parseltongue again. Only Astoria and Mrs. Zambini looked shocked, the others had long since gotten used to Harry switching between Parsel spells and regular spells, especially after he left Hogwarts and the inherent stigma speaking Parselmouth bore. He finished casting and a dark green light flashed across Hermione.

Harry sighed. "That should be the first of the compulsion spells broken. "

The pair continued to work in relative silence, Harry whispering Parsel spells and Mrs. Zambini using silent casting to remove the curses and damage to Hermione. Finally the two stopped working, and Draco transfigured chairs for each of them.

"That's most of it. I don't even recognize half of the things that had been done to her, but all the damage has been reversed. We're gonna need a curse breaker to remove the ring and the locket." Mrs. Zambini spoke up.

Ginny sighed. "I think I can trust Bill to do it. He took Fleur on a second honeymoon, since the last one was kind of ruined. George and Angelina are watching the baby."

Harry hazarded a look over to his first official girlfriend. She had grown into a beautiful woman in the years since they first dated. Her hair hung tied behind her in a thick braid, but still tiny curls ringed her face. She wore the robes of a Healer's apprentice, something Harry never knew she wanted to be. He knew that her marriage to Blaise had put a strain between her and her family, Ron especially. He also knew that Ginny had not really been home since the pair had gotten married, since Molly had refused to even attend the wedding. Arthur had gone, and had dutifully walked Ginny down the aisle. It had been a beautiful wedding, with the wedding parties splendid in Slytherin green, and Ginny glowing in a cream wedding gown. The older brothers had been most forgiving, Charlie buying Blaise a round of drinks at the bachelor's party, and Bill setting up the protections on the cottage the couple moved into after the honeymoon. Even George had supplied fireworks from his joke shop that went off during the reception. Now that he thought about it, only Ron and Molly had been heartily against her marriage to Blaise. Percy had been a decent enough bloke about it, offhandedly mentioning that if she didn't marry Harry marrying Blaise was the next best thing.

Mrs. Zambini was talking. "I think that would be best. He works for Gringotts and would have the most experience in these types of artifacts." She moved over to where Daphne sat, recovering from her ordeal. "How are you dear?"

Daphne nodded. "Fine, now. I think something was going on when we were fighting, Hermione kept just throwing stunners, even though I know she's got more in her arsenal than that. I think the proximity to Ron strengthened the compulsion charms. It was like her magic couldn't harm him."

Draco was livid. The more he heard the angrier he got. "I'll kill him. Just because Hermione doesn't want him anymore doesn't mean that he can just go about hexing her into oblivion. I won't stand for it. " Draco stalked over to the floo and made to grab a pile of powder when a hand stopped him.

"No. Not like this." Harry had stood up and crossed the room like lightning. "If you really care about Hermione the way I think you do, the best thing for her is to be by her side while she recovers. Besides, I think that there are enough Slytherins in this room to come up with a more… appropriate… plan.."

Draco dropped the floo powder back in the jar and nodded. "I'll bet Daphne would have enjoyed having you in her house." Draco smirked.

Four sets of eyes lighted onto Harry, and he shrugged. "Yeah yeah, the hat wanted to sort me in Slytherin at first, but I had been influenced against the house, and I wanted desperately to fit in. That's when the hat suggested Gryffindor."

Daphne laughed. "You should have been in Slytherin. The robes would have matched your eyes."

Harry smirked. "Why do you think I prefer wearing green now?"

They all laughed, easing the tension in the room over Hermione's condition. Ginny went over to the floo and called Bill, who agreed to come out as soon as possible. Fleur wouldn't be happy, but he would make it up to her.

Harry sank down into a chair. "I can't believe Ron did this. Attacking innocent witches and wizards… refusing to let the past die. Honestly." Once the reality of what had happened really sank into Harry, he felt rage and anger building up inside of him. "He won't get away with this!"

Draco, looked down at Hermione. His eyes betrayed his utmost sadness, and then he set his jaw and his face became expressionless. Daphne saw that look and shivered. She had been in class with Draco, and had spent the most time around him growing up out of the people in the room. Joking Draco smirked slightly, mirth dancing in his eyes. Plotting Draco wore a slight frown as he planned some poor soul's demise. Angry Draco scowled, and was quick to hex anything that moved. Expressionless Draco was like teasing a sleeping dragon in heat. It was just too dangerous to comprehend.

Ginny was watching Harry with the same carefully measured caution. He was usually quick tempered, but also quick to cool off. The fact that Harry sat there without emotion on his face did not bode well for her brother.

The group sat sullenly, contemplating what had happened, when suddenly Harry jumped up and had a very nasty smirk on his face. "Bloody hell, I nearly forgot where we are!"

When everybody else looked at Harry quite confused, Harry elaborated. "Grimmwald Place. Black Family Library."

Draco's smirk nearly split his face. "Oh Harry, utter genius!"

Ginny looked at Harry. "But didn't mum have most of the nastier things tossed out when the Order took over?"

Harry shook his head. "That stuff was just for show. Like most families, the Blacks who lived here kept a secret vault that only a legitimate Black family member could open. Besides that, there were charms placed on the books that made them return to that vault should anybody attempt to remove them from the home or destroy them. When Molly tossed them out, they simply vanished and returned themselves to the vault. Come on, Draco, let's see what's in there!"

Ginny was still confused. "But we're kind of related to the Blacks."

Draco shook his head this time. "By marriage. Same with Harry here. His great aunt was a Black, but I am a Black by blood, meaning I can open the vault and then key Harry into it. "

Ginny finally understood. Harry might be legitimate, but he was still only related by marriage, while her family wouldn't be acknowledged since the Black who had married the Weasley would have been disowned, and the entire line considered illegitimate.

Draco leaned over, and brushed his lips onto Hermione's sweaty brow. "Be safe, sweet."

Harry leaned over and gave Daphne a chaste peck on the cheek. "I'll be back."

The two left the room, and by mutual agreement they all understood that Ron Weasley didn't stand a chance against those two wizards. Not a snowball's chance in Hades.

A/N

Three more scenes to go. Decent response to this ficlet so far. Enjoy!


	3. The Plan

Harry watched her sleep.

The woman he loved as a sister, who, in another lifetime could probably be wearing HIS ring and stitching the Potter crest onto all of her towels and whatever else she wanted, was resting comfortably. Bill had come, and after cursing a blue streak at the items he found, slowly and carefully removed them. The objects now sat in a clear charmed box, waiting for proper disposal. Certainly by now Harry could have disposed of the objects himself in any number of ways, but he wanted to hold onto them, just in case.

Draco also watched her sleep.

Draco looked at the sleeping form of the woman he was pretty sure he loved, HAD loved, if he was honest with himself. He thought about how delicate she looked in her charmed sleep. He thought about the past years, back to Hogwarts, when he thought his father's anger and ire of the sleeping girl in front of him was simply about blood. When he found out that his father, in fact, respected Hermione for her intelligence and raw power he was surprised, to say the least. His father was more upset about the tattoo on his left arm, and how he had been too blind to understand that muggleborns like Lily Evans and Hermione did not deserve the stigma that followed their breeding. Lucius Malfoy had never been good with expressing emotions properly, and projected out his frustration towards the woman who did not deserve it.

It had been quite the surprise, when Draco had taken Hermione home for dinner one evening and his father was more than welcoming of Hermione. His mother was long in favor of the match, favoring Hermione over some of the other potential matches for Draco. Narcissa Malfoy had laughed, saying that sometimes it was about more than just blood. Narcissa saw Hermione as the potential mother of her grandchildren, and knew without the issue of low fertility problems that plagued many pureblood women, that the Malfoy line would be strong in generations to come. Draco had even caught Narcissa flipping through the catalogue of _My Magical Baby _for baby things. Narcissa had simply smiled and said that baby Cassiopeia would need things to keep herself occupied.

Draco chuckled at the memory, thinking how there hadn't been a Malfoy girl since his great grand-aunt Dominique. He hoped the curly haired witch wouldn't mind becoming a Malfoy and breathing new life into his dying family.

Harry looked up at Draco and smirked. "You seem in a better humor."

Draco nodded. "Mother is already picking out baby names."

Harry ran his hands through his hair. "This is going to be fun."

Draco nodded, and the pair left Hermione to her sleep, and went to the sitting room to await their 'guests'.

Harry had pulled in a couple of favors, as had Draco, and the plan was elaborate, to say the least. They had any number of volunteers to help them, but the final acts would be solely Draco and Harry. Soon they began arriving, and Harry smirked at the number of people willing to rally around Hermione to right a wrong.

First to arrive were the Patil twins, who had gone back to India after the final battle. Padma was a Transfiguration master and would be starting a teaching career, tutoring the subject. Parvati was engaged to a wizard from India, and would never have to work a day in her life. Next Astoria showed up, deciding to help after getting permission from Healer Zambini. Lavender Brown came next, sporting a large engagement ring, but was silent on who it was from. Susan Bones came next, taking the break from her wedding preparations to help an old DA buddy. Hannah Abbott Boot was next, followed by Luna Lovegood. Luna was an Unspeakable, and had a very specific job to do. Last were Cho Chang, and Harry's old teammates from Hogwarts.

After a short reunion Harry rose to speak.

"I'm glad that all of you are willing to help out. This is a two-prong attack. Each of you will be Polyjuiced as Hermione and will go in mutiples to Diagon Alley to lure the target out. You will each have a timed portkey designed to bring you back here in three hours time. If you make contact with the target, do not go into a less populated space. I would rather you all go into Knockturn Alley rather than be alone with the target. Do not touch him, or let him touch you. Simply deliver the message and then report back here when you are successful. Once a team is successful your charmed coins will heat up letting you know that we are ready for stage two."

Draco continued. "That is when the second part of the attack will kick in. The target will arrive at the pre-destined location, where Harry and I will be waiting. That is what the second dose of Polyjuice is for. Luna, this is where you and your team come in. There needs to be a distraction, so that the spells Harry and I use go undetected by the Ministry. Don't worry, we're not going to kill the target. He's just going to learn a good lesson about messing with witches under the combined protection of the Potter and Malfoy families."

The group of girls nodded. Harry then spoke up. "You girls, by virtue of your vow to help one of your own, now fall under that protection. Don't hesitate to call us up."

The group organized themselves, and Harry handed out the transfigured robes that Hermione would wear, with the embroidery of a Transfiguration and Ancient Runes master. They would do sweeps for the target, with Nott, Zambini, Neville Longbottom and several other volunteers acting as guards for "Hermione".

As the girls filtered out, their assigned times given and potions ready to go, Draco walked over to where Harry was.

"Everything is set."

Harry turned to Draco and smirked, a habit he had picked up from his roommate.

"That's good. Your father is all ready?"

Draco nodded. "He had a mixed reaction to what I wanted to do. He doesn't have fond memories about that time in his life, but he was with me when I explained why I wanted to do it. Defending the family honor and all that jazz. Especially after I told him what exactly the Weasel had been trying to do to her."

Harry nodded. It was a sick-minded individual who tried to get his fiancée' pregnant in order to force her into an ancient Wizarding contract which in effect forced the mother-to-be to marry the father of the unborn child. Later diagnostics had discovered that the fertility spells Hermione had been under would have likely resulted in triplets had Ron been successful.

"Yeah, we have to watch out for her for a long time. If any wizard with nefarious intentions gets to her, there's still enough of that stuff in her system to do permanent damage."

Draco nodded. 'Yeah. My mother was livid when I told her. She's even breaking out some of Aunt Bella's old 'toys' to have a little bit of fun herself."

Harry laughed at the idea of prim and proper Narcissa Malfoy involved in an activity like they were planning. "Your mum must really like Hermione."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, she's actually planning to put in a nursery in the Manor. She's been picking out colors and everything."

Harry laughed. He quickly sobered and looked at Draco seriously. "Are you ready for this?"

Draco shook his head. "He tried to take what was mine. She probably would have broken up with him a long time ago had it not been for those infernal charms."

Harry looked at Draco questioningly. "I mean, we could get into a lot of trouble…"

Draco shook his head. "Lovegood was a Ravenclaw, and one of the youngest Unspeakables admitted directly into the core. I know she can pull it off. I'm not worried about that. I have to do this. The question is, are you ready? The stuff we're talking about doing… its Dark magic at its finest. You spent your entire life fighting against it."

Harry shook his head. "No. We are doing dark spells, Black family spells from before there was a Voldemort or even a Grindenwald. There is a difference between what we are going to do and what he was doing. I spent so much time fighting Voldemort at Hogwarts that all my time was spent dedicated to that. It wasn't until after all of that was over that I really looked into what made a spell dark. There's a whole family of spells the Ministry considers dark that just really involves blood magic or things that might become a danger to society in general if the general populous uses them. "

Draco nodded. "I know. My family has been one of those who embraced the older magical traditions and customs, and we got the label dark when Grindenwald became a champion of the old pureblood practices that were generally not taught to muggleborns or even half bloods."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I've done my research. Shall we do this?"

Draco nodded. "Certainly."

The pair was interrupted by a patronus message that Draco recognized as Pansy's. The pair listened and sent back a message, and soon Pansy popped into the parlor in front of them.

"Lord Potter, please accept my apology for my inappropriate behavior. I have to do something and you have go to help me."

Harry looked at Pansy, who looked disheveled and a little disturbed. "What happened Pansy?"

Pansy sneered. "That… that filthy little blood-traitor attacked me and tried to… befoul my virtue. He came into the shop hid until closing. He tried to portkey me away, and when I refused to go he attacked and left me in the shop. Only the charm my parents cast on me kept him from being successful."

"Charm?"

"Chastity Charm. Keeps a wizard from drugging me and taking advantage of me, then forcing me to marry him." Pansy explained.

Harry nodded. "Come with Draco and I. You can participate in the second half of our 'fun'."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What else happened?"

Pansy sighed. "You know me too well, Draco. He kept some of Granger's hair, and was attempting to force Polyjuice potion down my throat. I'm just afraid that he's so far gone that he's willing to take down anybody for his purpose. He… he called me the Slytherin slag, and told me that I'd probably been used more times than the old school brooms, and so it was only fair that he got to have a go."

Harry was stunned that his former friend had gotten that far.

"How dare he!" Draco was livid. "Come on, nobody treats a Slytherin that way, and nobody certainly besmirches the honor of a woman in that manner! Let's go. I'm sure my mother can give you a 'special' assignment."

Pansy nodded. "I wouldn't mind giving myself to a worthy man, but he… "

"Don't worry about it." Harry spoke. "Let's go. We want to be set up in case the first group nets him."

The three left for Malfoy Manor, and in a corner, a portrait of Phineus Black smiled for the first time in years.


End file.
